A 78 year old man is being held for murder of a burglar who broke into his house, armed with a screwdriver (a big one can be as leather as a knife) and after a scuffle, the burglar is stabbed and killed by the 78 year old.

Seems as though he should have just let the intruders do whatever they wanted.

"Local ward Councillor Mark Ingleby described the killing as a "tragedy" and said it had come "out of the blue"."
What a strange remark to make. I don't think that it's a tragedy that a thug threatening someone twice his age got killed. Out of the blue??? No. If a ton of bricks falls on your head whilst you're walking along a street - that's out of the blue.

I sincerely hope that the pensioner is given a medal for being brave enough to stand up to, and survive, such an ordeal.

Wow, strange law. That would never happen in the U.S. If someone breaks into your home, you are well within your rights to blow their head off. Outside is another matter, you have to be in fear of your life, but inside the house... boom! That's why burglars here are usually very careful to make sure no one is home before breaking in.

My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?

Wow, strange law. That would never happen in the U.S. If someone breaks into your home, you are well within your rights to blow their head off. Outside is another matter, you have to be in fear of your life, but inside the house... boom! That's why burglars here are usually very careful to make sure no one is home before breaking in.

I think you will find that is not correct
"In general, property owners cannot use deadly force to protect property. But property owners may be able to shoot at trespassers in self-defense if they fear great bodily harm or death. The law gives property owners the right to defend themselves with a reasonable response."

"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." Muhammad Ali

A man has died after getting his head stuck under the footrest of his electronic seat at a movie theatre in the British city of Birmingham.

According to the Birmingham Mail, the man had dropped his phone and was trying to retrieve it in between the cinema’s Gold Class seats at the end of the film.

The accident occurred on March 9 at the Star City entertainment complex. He died a week later, on March 16.
After he bent down, the reclining, electric seat’s footrest clamped down on the man’s head. He was attending the film with his partner, who reportedly became frantic as the man started to panic upon realising he was stuck.

Staff and other patrons at the cinema struggled to free him, but eventually pulled him out of the seats.

The man suffered from cardiac arrest. After paramedics successfully restarted his heart, he was rushed to Heartlands Hospital, the West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed to the Guardian.

“Following an incident which took place on Friday 9 March at our Birmingham cinema, we can confirm that a customer was taken to hospital that evening. We are saddened to learn that he passed away on Friday 16 March.”

The statement continues: “A full investigation into the nature of the incident is ongoing. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family who have our full support and assistance.”

The Birmingham City Council has started a health and safety investigation, reports the Guardian.

The three Gold Class rooms at the complex offer a fully licensed car, and are only available to attendees over 18.
(I guess that should be "bar")

Wow, strange law. That would never happen in the U.S. If someone breaks into your home, you are well within your rights to blow their head off. Outside is another matter, you have to be in fear of your life, but inside the house... boom! That's why burglars here are usually very careful to make sure no one is home before breaking in.

I think you will find that is not correct
"In general, property owners cannot use deadly force to protect property. But property owners may be able to shoot at trespassers in self-defense if they fear great bodily harm or death. The law gives property owners the right to defend themselves with a reasonable response."

That's why they have to be inside. If a person has broken into your home, it is automatically a fear of your (or your family's) life situation. If they are breaking into your car in the driveway you cannot shoot them to protect property. Inside your home, if they broke in, you will never be prosecuted in the U.S. for shooting them. Yes, there are laws about reasonable response and laws vary from state to state but according to several police friends I've talked to you are generally well within you rights to shoot someone that has broken in in self defense. I wouldn't shoot him/her in the back if they were running for the door though. That may cause some legal trouble in some states.

My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?

I worked with a lot of Americans for years, and all of them always said: if you do shoot an invader outside, make sure that you drag the body inside before calling the cops!

One bloke that I worked with offshore and had split up with his wife, was shot on the doorstep of his own house with his own shotgun when he went trying to get in to the house. Sad really, as he had been bragging about what he was going to do to her while he was at work. Several of us, including me, tried to talk him out of it before he left the rig. He laughed about it and said he would take his .45 with him so there would not be a problem. His wife was never indicted.

May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!

Back to the 78 year old man in the UK who had initially been held on the possibility of being charged with murder, common sense has prevailed and the police have dropped the charges they say following a thorough investigation, no doubt prompted by the huge public outcry - more here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43676359

Back to the 78 year old man in the UK who had initially been held on the possibility of being charged with murder, common sense has prevailed and the police have dropped the charges they say following a thorough investigation, no doubt prompted by the huge public outcry - more here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43676359

I'm pretty sure he was never charged in the first place. It doesn't seem unreasonable that if you kill someone, you're going to get questioned under caution. Whether it was necessary to arrest him is very much open to question, but overall I think this was a typical Daily Mail-style overreaction, and I'd guess most of the coppers involved were patting him on the back.

Wow, strange law. That would never happen in the U.S. If someone breaks into your home, you are well within your rights to blow their head off. Outside is another matter, you have to be in fear of your life, but inside the house... boom! That's why burglars here are usually very careful to make sure no one is home before breaking in.

I think you will find that is not correct
"In general, property owners cannot use deadly force to protect property. But property owners may be able to shoot at trespassers in self-defense if they fear great bodily harm or death. The law gives property owners the right to defend themselves with a reasonable response."

I wouldn't shoot him/her in the back if they were running for the door though. That may cause some legal trouble in some states.

Only the US police can shoot someone in the back, preferably when they are unarmed with their hands up.

"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." Muhammad Ali